Dining Review: Foglia in Bristol

Seared Roman artichoke hearts. Photography by Angel Tucker

There’s nothing kitschy about Peter Carvelli’s Foglia, but if there’s any kind of nuanced mantra, it’s simply that plant-based food can be fine dining as readily as an omnivore’s meal. Situated in a small space that once housed Persimmon, Foglia holds thirty diners in a subdued palette of cream and black, with accents of laser-cut leaves dividing the spaces. 

A sliver of the size of Plant City, it comes close to replicating its diversity of clientele on a microcosmic scale. Sure, there are college kids here (several of them working in the kitchen and front of the house), but the dining room is usually filled with a crowd that spans a fifty-year age gap. Why the mass appeal? Because Foglia has no agenda other than to solidify itself as a — or even the — neighborhood favorite.  

Bolognese. Photography by Angel Tucker

The menu is familiar — largely pasta and other iterations of rustic Italian favorites. But the shift from meat to plant-based ingredients calls very little attention to itself. Some of the dishes were always vegetarian (fazzoletti e funghi) and others (tempeh piccata) are so focused on the sauce as its central flavor that the protein swap is secondary. 

In fact, you can readily make it through a first course without even considering a life change: Thick wedges of focaccia — plain ($4) or pizza-style ($10-$12) — are so appealing with a glass of red wine that they could take up a whole evening. Seared artichokes with a sprinkle of panko ($14) are classic Italian until you get to the black olive caramel which transliterates the dish into something both modern and better.  

Fazzoletti e funghi. Photography by Angel Tucker

But it’s pasta that rules the menu. Made in-house, it not only forms the basis for cacio e pepe ($22) and Bolognese ($24), but dominates both dishes. The latter uses Impossible ground “meat,” and the ragu is everything you’d expect: tangy, rich and braised into delicacy. But it’s the hearty pappardelle that plays on both flavor and texture, and these bites that define Foglia as simply good Italian, rather than just plant-based. 

The elegant interior of Foglia. Photography by Angel Tucker

But Carvelli sees a meal in its entirety and, though you can make a meal out of small plates, the five-course tasting menu is a playful embrace of diverse dishes that redefine Tuscan food for the modern era.  

If there are any surprises left to reveal, it’s that the restaurant has a local sixteen-year-old pastry chef named Piper McAloon who turned quarantine into an intensive educational dive into vegan baking. It’s a fitting partnership with Carvelli, who took on cooking as a third career when it eclipsed every other interest. 

Vanilla panna cotta with raspberry coulis. Photography by Angel Tucker

McAloon turns out a stellar array of varied desserts ($9), from coconut-based cheesecake to fried dough with fig sauce to a bright lemon cake glazed with citrus sugar. One table was so enraptured with the high schooler’s work that they ate two desserts at the table and took two more home for the next day. Servers were unsurprised: They know half the diners by name and greet everyone with a sincere enthusiasm that infuses not only the food itself but the movement behind it.

Cheesecake with chocolate sauce. Photography by Angel Tucker

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FOGLIA

31 State St., Bristol, 253-1195, fogliabristol.com

Open for dinner Thursday through Sunday. Street parking.

Must Get: Focaccia, Roman artichokes, pasta.